Abstract

In a masculine-dominated society, women’s right has been misunderstood because cultural, customary practices and believes which encourage discrimination against women relying on traditional gender rules and child care. The rights of female employees have been guaranteed in several instruments such as the Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon, the Cameroon Labour Code, and international conventions duly ratified by Cameroon such as the convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

In spite all these measures, women always face challenges in the employment sector; gender diversity increase in the Cameroon work force, men dominance and sexual harassment is more than prevalence. In addition, even where women finally gain employment, their participation in the organizational leadership at the work place is very minimal as males seem to dominate most leadership positions of their organization respectively.

The main objective of this work is to analyze the special rights of female employees under the Labour Code, and to point out some difficulties faced in realizing these rights. To this end, the researcher adopts the qualitative methodology which makes use of the doctrinal research method which relies on content analysis of both primary and secondary sources of data.

One of the findings uncovered in this work is that, the Lanour Code of Cameroon provides wide protection to female employees such as the right to maternity leave, exclusion from night work and nursing breaks. But the implementation and realization of these rights is not void of shortcomings. The question we face today is how to render labour laws and regulations more effective so that it can continue to benefit all workers who need protection.

Taken into consideration all the areas touched in this research, it can be concluded that there has been a significant safeguard of the rights of employees in general and female employees in particular. These rights are safeguarded under the preamble of Cameroon a Constitution, the Labour Code, and other national laws and Courts.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Backgrounds to the study

In a masculine-dominated society, women’s right has been misunderstood because cultural, customary practices and believes encourages discrimination against women .

In our modern society, women are part of the work force as they put their services and subject themselves to the control of the employers in return for the payment of wages .

Until modern times, legal and cultural practices combined with the initial of long standing religious and educational conventions, restricted women’s entry and participation in the work force . Economic dependency upon men, and consequently the poor socio-economic status of women, has had the same impact, particularly as occupations have become professionalized over the 19th and 20th centuries.

The entry of women into higher professions like law and medicine was delayed in most countries due to the denied of women’s entry in to universities for degree programmes. Women were largely limited to low paid and poor status occupations for most of the 19th and 20th centuries, or earned less pay than men for doing the same work. The increasing rate of women contributing in the work force has led to a more equal disbursement of hours worked across the regions of the world .

In Cameroon, women and men have equal rights to work. This is in accordance to Article 3 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) 1966  which provides that ‘’state parties to the present covenant  undertake to ensure the equal rights of men  and women to the enjoyment of all Economic, social and cultural rights set forth in the present Convention’’. The Cameroon labour Code which came as a result of law No. 92/007 of 14th August 1992 appears to have drawn a lot of inspirations from International human rights instruments ratified by the state of Cameroon protecting equal rights to work . The Labour Code therefore protects female workers as common workers and as special workers.

Genders of people are socially contracted differences that exist in communities leading to gender inequality and unequal rights . WHO perceive gender as attributes, activities, behavior and roles of a society will consider appropriate for men and women. But these roles and behaviors cause differences in communities that turn to favor only one group of gender over the other. It is true in employment contracts in Cameroon.

In Cameroon, most women will still prefer a male leader in the employment organization; most of them do not want to be led by a female. This gender gap affects women negatively. The ability for men and women to carry out responsible jobs in organizations are slightly different even thou, women do possess the appropriate job qualification for the task, but they still remain liable to discrimination.

In this research, we shall look at the common rights of female employees and will look at the special rights of female employees in Cameroon. It is worthy of note that it is the presence of these rights in the Labour Code that demonstrates the protection of female employees in the country.

1.2 Statement of the problem

The rights of female employees have been guaranteed in several instruments such as the Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon, the Cameroon Labour Code, and international conventions duly ratified by Cameroon .such as the convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In spite all these measures, women always face challenges in the employment sector; gender diversity increase in the Cameroon work force, men dominance and sexual harassment is more than prevalence.

In addition, even where women finally gain employment, their participation in the organizational leadership at the work place is very minimal as males seem to dominate most leadership positions of their organization.

1.3 Research questions

This work has a main research question and specific research questions

1.3.1 Main research question

The main research question of this work is what are the special rights of Female Employees under the Cameroon Labour Code?

1.3.2 Specific research questions

1. What is the concept of employment contracts in Cameroon?
2. What are the special rights of female employees under the Labour Code?
3. What are the challenges faced regarding the protection of female employees in Cameroon?
4. What suggestions are necessary to curb the difficulties faced by female employees in Cameroon?

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